Farmacological and electrical neurostimulation to rescue chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment

Prior research in both humans and animals concluded that chemotherapy gives rise to cognitive impairment, sometimes colloquially referred to as 'chemobrain'. Despite being widely known and agreed upon, robust animal models to investigate chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment are still lacking, rendering the experimental evaluation of potential remedies highly challenging. Hence, the aim of this doctoral dissertation is twofold; on the one hand we intend to develop a robust animal model to evaluate the effect of chemotherapy on the brain which would then enable us to evaluate novel treatment regimens to revert any impairments. More specifically, we see particular potential in electrical and pharmacological neuromodulation to revert the detrimental cognitive effects of chemotherapy. After all, studies have shown that the repeated stimulation of specific brain regions fosters the (re)myelination of any axons involved.